To the professional Product/Industrial Designers out there: What would you choose? What do most professional designers use? Are tablets important for sketching when working as an industrial designer, or are they more for personal use, just to quickly capture ideas and sketches? Is Procreate really the ultimate tool, or is it overrated since there are plenty of Android apps that can do everything just as well, or good enough..?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB020rZHpbE

Hello, as ID is a dying field I wanted to get into the specialization of rendering. Has anyone over here specialized in this particular field? I wanted to know more about this field, particularly the situation in India. Also I know a bit of Keyshot, and I'll master in that, but what more disciplines are there in this field, like one is product rendering, interior rendering, etc etc WHAT ELSE? are there any significant opportunities is what I am trying to ask ig...

Hello everyone,

I have done my Bachelors in Industrial design and have been working as an Lifestyle accessories designer for the past 2 years and am currently looking to pursue a Masters in Jewelry/Accessories Design to specialize in the field, mainly due to wish to pursue a career in Academia, Passion for this particular field and certain future opportunities.

I have been reworking my portfolio and preparing myself to apply for Year 2025, After doing some research I have come across certain Universities that I find would suit my requirement, I hope that people in the community can guide me regarding my choices:

1. Pforzheim University (Germany) (M.A in Jewelry Design)
2. HEAD – Switzerland (M.A in Fashion and Accessories Design)
3. UAL - UK (M.A Design: Ceramics, Furniture, Jewelry)
4. RCA - UK (M.A Jewelry and Metal)

Please suggest if these choices are right and if there any other Courses or Institutes i can look towards, Also if there is anyone is this industry who can guide me on how i can carve out a place for me in this part of the Industry.

Thank You

I have been trying for days to make this shape one continuous sweep or pipe but the best I have managed is making this by putting 3 coils together it is not a smooth transition from coil to coil. I tried also to take the isocurves in a 3d sketch and blend them but I get nothing but errors when sweeping or piping, with a loft I get some flat sections.

I wished they had a helix tool just for the line sketch. The inside diameter of the big loop has to be 28mm and the profile should be 12.5mm. Any advice??

Hey there! I’m working on a new design and I need your help. It’s all about combining sustainability, innovation, and simplicity, and I’d love to hear what you think!

Please take a quick survey to share your thoughts on comfort, style, and functionality. Your feedback will make a big difference in shaping the final product.

It’ll only take a few minutes, and your input means a lot! 🙏
Thanks so much for helping create something special! 💬

This is a rough sketch for an innovative smart pen design that can work with any device seamlessly. A innovative forever ink storage, marble retractable magnetic cap, fits whatever hand you use to write with even if you write with both. Sustainable design ensuring no materials are wasted. Whatcha think? 

https://preview.redd.it/szjakg2ucn6e1.jpg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=08c0bbbf7ec3b6e6584c23ad6612f3a8aa3d3af2

Obvious to many but I’ve recently come to this realization. Throughout my undergrad I noticed those who had to work part time naturally had less time / energy to dedicate to projects resulting in a lower quality portfolio. It was rare for students to find paid ID internships that covered the cost of living / travel / insurance in the respective city along with additional savings for future living costs once they return to school. Those that couldn’t find anything and had savings took on unpaid internships abroad and those that didn’t have any savings (primarily the first group of people who worked part time throughout the school year) worked some random non-ID job.

It’s like economics of how the rich get richer but applied to success as an ID student. This is although a generalization as many also played a gamble by taking out student loans and worked hard during the school year to find paid internships during the summer but the previously stated pattern still remains true.

While this doesn’t apply to EU citizens as university is typically very cheap / free, unpaid internships are the norm there so that means there’s no real source of income for other living costs. US on the other hand has tuition so high (out of state or private design schools) that even a decently well paying internship every summer from 1st year will not be close to covering tuition let alone living costs. Starting salaries for ID is low (unless in Bay Area but rent eats up most of it) so it’ll take a couple years to pay off the student loans.

I’m an industrial design student trying to figure out what I want to do after I graduate. One of the things I enjoy the most is going to concerts and everything that surrounds them.

What are some passion projects I can try now to explore if I’d like working in this area? I’ve thought about stage design, but it looks way too complex from an engineering perspective. Merch design is another idea, but it mostly seems like graphic design using templates. Designing instruments, MIDI controllers, or consoles feels a bit boring to me. I’ve seen some cool designs, like what Teenage Engineering did for Swedish House Mafia, but I’m not sure.

What other options do I have? I would love to try stage design, but I feel like I’d need to know a lot about the engineering or architectural side of things.

https://preview.redd.it/l9h88fhtcl6e1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6110c2c8b2e4239722c590f99a62a61959ed4387

Hello, A bit of a dry topic today but… i thought I would ask the hive mind.

As start-up life goes you end up already running past the point where you need a system. So we have found ourselves in dire need of a way to manage and control our documents data, cad simulations toolpaths etc.

I have experience with PDM, DDM and Windchill. But each of these has their own strengths and drawbacks. So i am struggling to choose the right level, of software the correct complexity and also the right price of.

If you guys were to start again what would you choose, and why? Are there any particular pitfall you would want to steer clear of?

Cheers guys

Oh we are a start-up AM company. working with in house data as well as customer data and orders

Do you guys think the workflow will be a bit rough if I try working with a Windows PC and an iPad Pro 13, since the compatibility is somewhat limited?

I would switch to the iPad, even though I have never used an Apple device before.

Are apps like Procreate and the Apple Pencil really worth it, or are alternatives like Krita and Sketchbook Pro not that far behind?

So I'll start with, I'm a photographer. My knowledge of industrial design is basic at best. I had an idea of making an 8'x8' frame out of 8 pieces of 48" aluminum extrusion and I'm curious if 2020 ones are strong enough to support their own weight at that size?

I was thinking at the butted ends I would use straight connectors on two sides, opposite each other, and for the corners I would use both cube corner brackets and an inner corner bracket to make sure the corners were very sound. If I were to support the frame at two opposite sides in the middle, would those straight connectors be structurally sound? Would I need to use healing plates instead? I'd be attaching an 8'x8' piece of ripstop nylon fabric on it to give you an idea of what additional load there would be.

I was looking at 3030 (1.181") or 1010 (1")sizes as well since they are both larger than the 2020, but I saw Amazon sold 10 packs of 2020 at 48" so out of convenience, I was hoping it would work.

Thanks for any tips or suggestions!

Hey everybody!
For school i need to render a product and i was thinking how i could improve this render. Any tips for how i can do this?

Im making a meditation device for a design class. The Body is supposed to be made of a hard type of white plastic. Right now im using keyshot but i will edit the picture in photoshop. The product is 260mm tall and the biggest diameter is 170mm on top. there's no particular type of environment, just trying to show my product in a neutrall environment.

https://preview.redd.it/o831qpkajh6e1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=353a33a014487c3654fb6b81d0bf291bc671e9e0

A lot of people have asked on here what to search for after getting out of college, but never before. I've worked a few a high-end trade jobs (upholstery and antique cars) and a furniture sales job, and all things considered, I'm considering going back to school for industrial design

In the meantime, what related jobs could I get without an ID degree that would help build relevant experience and might look good on a resume? I could continue to do more custom fabrication work, or maybe look for a CAD job since I do have some experience with Inventor and was quite comfortable with it. But I'm open to suggestions

I'd just rather be continuing to build experience and feel like I'm doing something meanful until I do go back and get a proper education

Hi everyone, I'm an industrial designer who is currently preparing for a master's in transportation design. While I've been a professional designer for 2 years, I've done it alone and self-teaching myself, focusing more on strategy and systems design rather over physical shapes and forms - which has gotten rusty as a result, my bachelor's education was also very adamant on forms-follow-function which led me to develop practical forms over aesthetics

Recently, i got a feedback telling me while my technical sketching is adequate, my form development is a bit rusty, which leads me to make shapes that felt very "current." Finding the current material on this mostly leads me to technicalities such as perspective and shading, which is all helpful but not exactly the thing I'm looking for. Are there any exercises/ material that can help me to develop a better visual library and stretch my creativity on forms?

attached is a sample of one of my sketches. any tips and CNC is appreciated!

https://preview.redd.it/85usjg4q1d6e1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=2af0e15f0e6ca9f1f77fc4d9c732919ca77008c2

https://preview.redd.it/00t3ckmu1d6e1.png?width=2388&format=png&auto=webp&s=f6972d89ef6feb787ed06e449649a2c2d73091dc

Hi everyone, I’m interested in learning about the experience of working as an industrial designer in Mexico. I’d like to know about:

1. What are the main industries or sectors where industrial designers are hired in the country?

2. What is the general work environment like? Is it more office-based, workshop-based, or a mix?

3. How competitive are salaries for industrial designers? What are the initial expectations for someone just starting out?

4. Are there any cities or regions in Mexico where opportunities for this profession are more concentrated?

I’d really appreciate any experiences, advice, or recommendations you can share. Also, if you know of specific places to look for jobs or outstanding companies in industrial design, that would be super helpful. Thanks!

Im listening about the unreal or twinmotion like a best program for rendering, and i not like keyshot

I'm planning to make a small scale models (approx. 12" x 12" x 6", with some details down to 1mm) of some brutalist architecture, and was wondering if anyone had experience or advice with small concrete molds. I suspect I'll need some admixtures to make it less brittle, but I know next to nothing about concrete chemistry. Would it be better to just use grey resin and maybe add some sand or dust to the cast for texture?

Thanks for any help

My university doesn’t have an industrial design program and im kinda at a point where it wouldn’t be smart to transfer and im in engineering but i dislike the lack of creativity and how technical it is as a major alone. I know i want to go to grad school so ill be on the hunt for when that time comes. But my opinions im considering for undergrad is switching to a arts major and concentrating in jewelry, interior design, or the one i most interested in, doing a Bachelor’s of integrated studies and combining art and engineering classes to “make my own major”. What do you think would be the best option truly and if i did do the BIS is that frowned upon in the workforce/ will i have a hard time getting into grad school? Thanks

Car design is my dream but I think I’m going to give up on it. I read a lot of posts about how it’s so hard to get into and so expensive and it doesn’t even pay well I think it’s smarter to change paths. I basically have my associates in ID. What are some ID alternatives that aren’t as lucrative and pay better? No manufacturing I’ve worked in a machine shop and hated it.

Hi! I am going to be soon an ID major at Georgia Tech. Initially, I thought it would be a good fit for me as I am someone is who is creative and is pretty good at problem-solving. From other sources at Georgia Tech, I heard a lot about how the ID program has connections that make it somewhat easier to get a job. (obviously I have to put in my own work). In addition, I also like the design aspect and how Georgia Tech is built around the engineering side rather than just design. However, after getting into the program, I now see a lot of people don't like this major as it is highly competitive and has low pay. I am slightly regretting putting a lot of energy to getting in and now it doesn't seem to have that much value. Part of me still wants to do something healthcare-related because something tells me I am making a bad decision. Anyone from Georgia Tech, could you please provide what was like after post-grad and how was it to find a job? Thank You!

I am a first-year industrial design student, and for our final project, our professor asked us to make a floor lamp. The crucial part is the lampshade that surrounds the bulb, which must be made from paper (the type of paper doesn't matter). I will handle the rest of the lamp, but here's the challenge: we are not allowed to use fishing line, thread, glue, tape, or anything similar.

In short, the lampshade must be a self-assembling product—imagine it as if it were delivered in a flat-pack, like an IKEA product. When disassembled, it should consist of only one single piece—yes, you read that right, the lampshade must be made from one single piece of material.

If anyone has ideas or thinks they can help, please share your thoughts!

I am wondering how will this field evolve in the future as it’s an intersection between ID and interior design. Also seeing the saturation in consumer electronics makes we wonder if furniture also will turn out to be the same any day in the future.

Is it safe to put in time learning this or it’s better to take up some other domain altogether. I have a passion for UX and consumer electronics too and do personal work in my free time.